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The Athletic investigated Dianna Russini’s work. What it found — and what it didn’t find.
| From | Tom Jones | Poynter <[email protected]> |
| Subject | The Athletic investigated Dianna Russini’s work. What it found — and what it didn’t find. |
| Date | September 4, 2026 11:31 AM |
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** OPINION
------------------------------------------------------------
Good morning, everyone. Tom Jones is out today, but the team at Poynter is keeping tabs on the latest media news and analysis. The Poynter Report will also be off Monday in observance of Labor Day. We’ll see you Tuesday.
A feminist icon, journalist and magazine co-founder died yesterday. Gloria Steinem was 92. She was known most prominently for her role as spokeswoman for second-wave feminism, and she paved a way for women to write about subjects outside those they were relegated to in mainstream media at the time: family, home, fashion.
Steinem dedicated her life to equal rights and liberation for women, and co-founded Ms. Magazine, the first magazine owned, managed and written by women, for women. As ABC News reports ([link removed]) , “Ms. was a spearhead for the promotion of equal rights, helping to raise awareness about issues of inclusion, media representation and social justice affecting women and girls, at a time when politics, mass media and consumerism were becoming conflated as never before.”
We’ll dig into Steinem’s legacy in a bit, but first, here’s an update on the Diana Russini/The Athletic controversy we’ve been following.
** The Athletic investigated Dianna Russini’s work. What it found — and what it didn’t find.
------------------------------------------------------------
The Athletic NFL insider Dianna Russini, shown before a 2019 game in Oakland, California. The Athletic reviewed more than 1,100 pieces of her work after her undisclosed relationship with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel became public. (AP Photo/D. Ross Cameron)
The Athletic released the results Thursday of its lengthy inquiry into NFL insider Dianna Russini, whose undisclosed relationship with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was revealed by Page Six earlier this year.
The top-line finding will surprise no one with even a passing familiarity with journalism ethics: Russini violated The Athletic’s standards. An undisclosed close personal relationship with someone you cover is about as clear a conflict as they come.
Perhaps the more interesting finding came from what the investigation did not uncover. After an extensive review of Russini’s work, The Athletic found little evidence that her relationship with Vrabel influenced her reporting about him or his teams.
In April, the New York Post’s Page Six published photos showing Russini and Vrabel hugging, holding hands and sitting together in a pool at an Arizona resort. Russini and Vrabel — both of whom are married to other people — separately denied any inappropriate conduct. The Athletic executive editor Steven Ginsberg initially backed Russini, saying the photos had been taken out of context. As additional information emerged, The Athletic suspended Russini. She resigned a week later.
The subsequent inquiry focused on Russini’s journalism. Mike Semel, The Athletic’s editorial director for standards and editorial quality, reviewed 903 stories and 77 videos that carried Russini’s byline or contributor line or mentioned her reporting. He also reviewed 204 episodes of “Scoop City,” the podcast Russini co-hosted, as well as appearances she made with other news outlets.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that Semel interviewed “approximately” 14 Athletic staffers who had worked with Russini. Russini was not asked to participate in the review of her work, according to an anonymous source cited by Marchand.
“Russini’s relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic's standards,” Semel wrote in the report. “Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed.”
Of the work Semel reviewed, 46 pieces — about 5% — concerned Vrabel or his teams. Yet Semel found little evidence that the relationship affected that coverage.
“I’ve not found a clear link to conclude that Russini used her platform to help promote Vrabel or help his teams during her time at The Athletic,” Semel wrote. “That said, there are examples of Russini writing glowingly of Vrabel that in hindsight are awkward or even uncomfortable.”
Still, the review wasn't a complete exoneration of the journalism. As ESPN’s Ben Strauss noted ([link removed]) , the report recommends adding editor’s notes to four pieces: three “lighthearted” videos and a column that lacked proper attribution.
The findings present an awkward juxtaposition. The Athletic found little evidence that Russini’s relationship with Vrabel affected her work. But because readers — and apparently her editors — didn’t know about the relationship at the time, they’re now left to reconsider that work with information they didn’t have when it was published.
A glowing assessment of Vrabel or a favorable comment about a player, draft or play that might have been completely fair now comes with an asterisk: Would she have written the same thing if they weren’t close?
Once the relationship became public, The Athletic had to go back and establish that work its readers had already been asked to trust was, in fact, trustworthy. That’s an ugly position for any newsroom to be in.
Marchand reported that Russini declined to be interviewed for his story but provided a statement: “I stand by any and all reporting I’ve ever done in my career.”
Vrabel, meanwhile, told ESPN that he had no reaction to The Athletic’s findings. “I've moved on and (am) excited about this new opportunity here as we start this season,” he said.
By Ren LaForme, managing editor
A MESSAGE FROM POYNTER
[link removed]
** Join the AI x Investigative Forum in NYC
------------------------------------------------------------
How is AI transforming investigative reporting? Join Hacks/Hackers at The New York Times for a day of hands-on learning with investigative reporters, data journalists, editors and engineers. Through practical workshops and real-world case studies, participants will explore AI techniques for document analysis, pattern detection and verification — and leave with skills they can apply in their own newsrooms. Space is limited, and tickets are expected to sell out.
Request to join ([link removed])
** Remembering icon Gloria Steinem
------------------------------------------------------------
Ms. magazine co-founder and editor Gloria Steinem holds up an article from the magazine during a 1979 news conference in Washington. Steinem, the trailblazing journalist and feminist activist who helped create a national platform for writing about women’s lives and rights, died Wednesday at 92. (AP Photo/Ira Schwarz)
Trailblazing feminist and journalist Gloria Steinem died Wednesday at age 92.
“Gloria’s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard,” read a statement posted on activist’s Instagram ([link removed]) . “Her words, actions, and example gave people permission to be their truest selves. Gloria lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humor.”
A native of Toledo, Ohio, Steinem dedicated her life to the cause of women’s rights – considered to be a leader in second-wave feminism. She co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus, which promoted and encouraged women’s participation and presence in government. She led marches and spoke out for women.
Steinem had also spent time as a freelance journalist in New York during the 1960s when, according to NPR ([link removed]) , newsrooms were largely run by men and female reporters were typically restricted to specific topics like food, celebrities and makeup. She once went undercover as a cocktail waitress at the Playboy Club in Manhattan, N.Y., – the reporting of which resulted in a damning exposé about the sexism and low wages endured by other cocktail waitresses. In a 2008 sitdown interview ([link removed]) with The New York Times, however, Steinem recalled how that particular assignment “followed” her for years.
She’d go on to co-found the first national American feminist magazine, Ms. magazine, in the early 1970s. Steinem told the Times that the publication came from a time when women “couldn’t write what we wanted to write.”
“At the time that first issue was published, there were local feminist publications here and in some other countries, but there was no national voice for those of us who had the radical idea that women are people,” Steinem wrote in a foreword ([link removed]) for the book, ‘50 Years of Ms.: The Best of the Pathfinding Magazine That Ignited a Revolution.’
“I didn’t know what the response would be, especially on newsstands, with no precedent or place for a women’s magazine that wasn’t about home, family and children.”
The cover of the first issue featured a woman with blue skin like the Hindu deity, Krishna, with multiple arms. In each hand, Steinem explained, was a symbol of the many tasks of women. The issue sold out in eight days.
Tributes and remembrances poured in for Steinem after news broke of her death. Steph Ruhle, host of MS NOW’s “Money, Power, Politics,” said if it was not for Steinem, Ruhle “would not be in this chair, leading this program today.
“We cannot overlook how much the world has changed for the better because of Gloria,” Ruhle said ([link removed]) Thursday on her show.
CNN’s Christiane Amanpour reflected on the icon’s legacy on X ([link removed]) , writing: “Gloria Steinem will go down in history as one of the most important activists of all time, leading a movement for the equality of half the world: its women. She lived a long and passionate life dedicated to this vital and basic cause. She did it with intellectual precision, emotional awareness, humour and beauty. May she rest in peace and may the cause thrive.”
The progressive, nonpartisan nonprofit, Women’s Media Center, issued a lengthy statement ([link removed]) of mourning. According to Julie Burton, one of the co-founders of the Women’s Media Center, the first organizing meeting took place in Steinem’s living room.
“Today WMC produces original on-air and online journalism by and about women. WMC documents and fights structural sexism and racism in media,” the statement read. “And the organization Gloria helped create continues to advance opportunities for women in media through connected strategies of training women journalists and leaders and promoting them as experts to media.”
By Amaris Castillo, staff writer
** Maria Bartiromo is out at Fox News after leaking an internal memo to Trump
------------------------------------------------------------
FOX Business Network's Mornings with Maria show anchor Maria Bartiromo, speaks during an interview, June 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
In 2013, Maria Bartiromo was a financial journalist at CNBC and a pioneer in the field, becoming the first journalist to report live daily from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Three years later, she was an anchor and host at Fox News and Fox Business who was growing increasingly cozy with presidential candidate Donald Trump.
That relationship only grew in the years that followed, with Bartiromo giving Trump favorable interviews, sharing the view that his 2020 election loss amounted to a “coup” and lending credence to false claims that the election was rigged.
On Thursday, we learned just how far Bartiromo’s affinity for Trump had allegedly gone — and, according to Status’ Oliver Darcy ([link removed]) , why Bartiromo is suddenly out at Fox.
Darcy reported Thursday evening that Bartiromo was fired after sharing confidential Fox News editorial guidance with the Trump White House.
The incident reportedly began in July, after Trump delivered a prime-time speech that included conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and allegations involving China. According to Darcy, Fox News then sent written guidance to senior employees instructing them not to give credence to Trump’s claims. The network largely avoided the claims in its coverage the following day.
Bartiromo, however, allegedly clued in the White House. Darcy reported that she disclosed Fox’s internal guidance and even shared with the White House the text message in which network executives had issued it.
That disclosure violated the terms of Bartiromo’s employment agreement, Darcy reported. And not long after Fox learned what she had done, Bartiromo disappeared from the network’s air. On Thursday, Fox announced that she was out in a terse statement ([link removed]) : “Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with FOX News Media,” the network said.
Fox has not confirmed Darcy’s reporting. A spokesperson told Status that “this was a business decision and the release speaks for itself.” Bartiromo answered a call from Darcy but declined to comment.
Trump chose Bartiromo for his first television interview after losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden. An hour before the interview, Bartiromo texted Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, to share the questions she intended to ask and wrote, “Pls make sure he doesn’t go off on tangents. We want to know he is strong he is a fighter & he will win.”
During the interview, Bartiromo lent credence to Trump’s false claims that rampant election fraud had cost him the election and said Trump was being overthrown in a “coup.”
Bartiromo also repeatedly aired baseless allegations that rigged voting machines had stolen the election from Trump and became a prominent figure in defamation lawsuits filed against Fox by voting technology companies. Fox settled Dominion Voting Systems’ lawsuit in 2023 for $787.5 million. A similar lawsuit from Smartmatic is still pending.
The election cases weren’t Bartiromo’s only legal headache for Fox. Her show prompted another lawsuit this summer after businessman and “Shark Tank” host Kevin O’Leary appeared on air and falsely accused opponents of his Utah data center project of having ties to China.
Fox is quickly removing Bartiromo’s name from its programming. “Mornings with Maria” will become “Mornings with Fox Business,” with a rotating cast of anchors. Her weekly “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street” will become “FBN’s Wall Street,” initially hosted by Cheryl Casone. Jason Chaffetz will fill in Sunday on Bartiromo’s Fox News show, “Sunday Morning Futures,” while the network searches for a permanent host.
Earlier Thursday, before Darcy’s report was published, speculation centered on whether Bartiromo might instead be headed to the Trump administration, which has yet to name a replacement for former press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
During Thursday’s White House briefing, a Newsweek reporter asked Vice President JD Vance whether Bartiromo would take the job.
“I don’t know, man. No, I don’t think so,” Vance said. He later quipped, “I'd like to invite Peter Doocy to come up here and answer a question about what happened to Maria.”
By Ren LaForme, managing editor
** USA Today will cut staff, reorganize audience team
------------------------------------------------------------
USA Today is cutting staff and reorganizing its audience team in response to declining search traffic, The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin reported in a tweet Thursday.
In a memo to staff, shared by Mullin, USA Today senior vice president Monica Richardson wrote that simply producing more content to grow audience “isn’t as effective as it once was,” with search traffic “under pressure” and platforms keeping users from clicking through to publishers.
The company will replace its current audience team with a new audience and digital production team that focuses on three areas: coordinating daily output and publishing workflows, growing audiences within “key coverage areas” and building off-platform audiences and managing platform relationships.
Richardson did not say how many employees will lose their jobs, referring only to “departing colleagues.”
The cuts will also affect local newspapers that are part of the USA Today Co. chain, formerly known as Gannett. Mullin has the memo ([link removed]) .
By Ren LaForme, managing editor
** Media tidbits and links for your weekend review
------------------------------------------------------------
* Norah O’Donnell is returning to “CBS Mornings” on Tuesday, reuniting with Gayle King and joining Nate Burleson as CBS tries to shore up the third-place morning show. Variety’s Brian Steinberg reports ([link removed]) that “CBS Mornings” viewership is down about 9% from a year ago, while its audience among 25- to 54-year-olds has fallen 20%. O’Donnell, who left the morning show in 2019 to anchor the “CBS Evening News,” is also taking on a new role as a “60 Minutes” correspondent.
* Forbes journalists haveratified their first union contract ([link removed]) after more than four years of bargaining, including two work stoppages. The three-year deal establishes a $68,500 salary floor, raises totaling 10% over the life of the contract, “just cause” job protections and an editorial firewall between Forbes’ business and editorial operations.
* Fox News’ Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade, who covered the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks for the network in 2001, will commemorate the 25th anniversary ([link removed]) with special coverage next week.
* ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith joins hosts Jemele Hill and Cari Champion for a 95-minute conversation on the latest episode of “Flagrant and Funny.” ([link removed]) And apparently it’s only part one. Awful Announcing’s Matt Yoder rounds up the top 5 moments. ([link removed])
* Politico’s Sophia Cai and Charles Rollet with “Zuckerberg opposed White House AI proposal in private call with Trump.” ([link removed])
* Wired’s Lexi Pandell writes “Pangram Has Emerged as the Gold Standard of AI Detection. Should You Trust It?” ([link removed])
* The New York Times’ Emma Goldberg (with visuals by Erin Schaff) with “The Start-Up That Helps People Die.” ([link removed])
** More resources for journalists
------------------------------------------------------------
* Join a free Poynter webinar on Covering Immigration with Care that gives practical guidance on trauma-informed interviewing, ethical storytelling and reporting beyond crisis-driven narratives. Enroll now. ([link removed])
* Learn critical skills that new managers need in this dynamic, in-person, five-day workshop: Nov. 16-20, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Apply now. ([link removed])
* Build practical AI skills ([link removed]) while learning to use the technology responsibly. Explore AI tools, ethics, misinformation and bias, learn how to apply AI to your everyday work, and earn a Poynter certificate. Complete the core course in just 4-5 hours, anytime and at your own pace.
Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
The Poynter Report is your daily dive into the world of media, packed with the latest news and insights. Get it delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday by signing up here ([link removed]) . And don’t forget to tune into our biweekly podcast ([link removed]) for even more.
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** OPINION
------------------------------------------------------------
Good morning, everyone. Tom Jones is out today, but the team at Poynter is keeping tabs on the latest media news and analysis. The Poynter Report will also be off Monday in observance of Labor Day. We’ll see you Tuesday.
A feminist icon, journalist and magazine co-founder died yesterday. Gloria Steinem was 92. She was known most prominently for her role as spokeswoman for second-wave feminism, and she paved a way for women to write about subjects outside those they were relegated to in mainstream media at the time: family, home, fashion.
Steinem dedicated her life to equal rights and liberation for women, and co-founded Ms. Magazine, the first magazine owned, managed and written by women, for women. As ABC News reports ([link removed]) , “Ms. was a spearhead for the promotion of equal rights, helping to raise awareness about issues of inclusion, media representation and social justice affecting women and girls, at a time when politics, mass media and consumerism were becoming conflated as never before.”
We’ll dig into Steinem’s legacy in a bit, but first, here’s an update on the Diana Russini/The Athletic controversy we’ve been following.
** The Athletic investigated Dianna Russini’s work. What it found — and what it didn’t find.
------------------------------------------------------------
The Athletic NFL insider Dianna Russini, shown before a 2019 game in Oakland, California. The Athletic reviewed more than 1,100 pieces of her work after her undisclosed relationship with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel became public. (AP Photo/D. Ross Cameron)
The Athletic released the results Thursday of its lengthy inquiry into NFL insider Dianna Russini, whose undisclosed relationship with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was revealed by Page Six earlier this year.
The top-line finding will surprise no one with even a passing familiarity with journalism ethics: Russini violated The Athletic’s standards. An undisclosed close personal relationship with someone you cover is about as clear a conflict as they come.
Perhaps the more interesting finding came from what the investigation did not uncover. After an extensive review of Russini’s work, The Athletic found little evidence that her relationship with Vrabel influenced her reporting about him or his teams.
In April, the New York Post’s Page Six published photos showing Russini and Vrabel hugging, holding hands and sitting together in a pool at an Arizona resort. Russini and Vrabel — both of whom are married to other people — separately denied any inappropriate conduct. The Athletic executive editor Steven Ginsberg initially backed Russini, saying the photos had been taken out of context. As additional information emerged, The Athletic suspended Russini. She resigned a week later.
The subsequent inquiry focused on Russini’s journalism. Mike Semel, The Athletic’s editorial director for standards and editorial quality, reviewed 903 stories and 77 videos that carried Russini’s byline or contributor line or mentioned her reporting. He also reviewed 204 episodes of “Scoop City,” the podcast Russini co-hosted, as well as appearances she made with other news outlets.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that Semel interviewed “approximately” 14 Athletic staffers who had worked with Russini. Russini was not asked to participate in the review of her work, according to an anonymous source cited by Marchand.
“Russini’s relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic's standards,” Semel wrote in the report. “Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed.”
Of the work Semel reviewed, 46 pieces — about 5% — concerned Vrabel or his teams. Yet Semel found little evidence that the relationship affected that coverage.
“I’ve not found a clear link to conclude that Russini used her platform to help promote Vrabel or help his teams during her time at The Athletic,” Semel wrote. “That said, there are examples of Russini writing glowingly of Vrabel that in hindsight are awkward or even uncomfortable.”
Still, the review wasn't a complete exoneration of the journalism. As ESPN’s Ben Strauss noted ([link removed]) , the report recommends adding editor’s notes to four pieces: three “lighthearted” videos and a column that lacked proper attribution.
The findings present an awkward juxtaposition. The Athletic found little evidence that Russini’s relationship with Vrabel affected her work. But because readers — and apparently her editors — didn’t know about the relationship at the time, they’re now left to reconsider that work with information they didn’t have when it was published.
A glowing assessment of Vrabel or a favorable comment about a player, draft or play that might have been completely fair now comes with an asterisk: Would she have written the same thing if they weren’t close?
Once the relationship became public, The Athletic had to go back and establish that work its readers had already been asked to trust was, in fact, trustworthy. That’s an ugly position for any newsroom to be in.
Marchand reported that Russini declined to be interviewed for his story but provided a statement: “I stand by any and all reporting I’ve ever done in my career.”
Vrabel, meanwhile, told ESPN that he had no reaction to The Athletic’s findings. “I've moved on and (am) excited about this new opportunity here as we start this season,” he said.
By Ren LaForme, managing editor
A MESSAGE FROM POYNTER
[link removed]
** Join the AI x Investigative Forum in NYC
------------------------------------------------------------
How is AI transforming investigative reporting? Join Hacks/Hackers at The New York Times for a day of hands-on learning with investigative reporters, data journalists, editors and engineers. Through practical workshops and real-world case studies, participants will explore AI techniques for document analysis, pattern detection and verification — and leave with skills they can apply in their own newsrooms. Space is limited, and tickets are expected to sell out.
Request to join ([link removed])
** Remembering icon Gloria Steinem
------------------------------------------------------------
Ms. magazine co-founder and editor Gloria Steinem holds up an article from the magazine during a 1979 news conference in Washington. Steinem, the trailblazing journalist and feminist activist who helped create a national platform for writing about women’s lives and rights, died Wednesday at 92. (AP Photo/Ira Schwarz)
Trailblazing feminist and journalist Gloria Steinem died Wednesday at age 92.
“Gloria’s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard,” read a statement posted on activist’s Instagram ([link removed]) . “Her words, actions, and example gave people permission to be their truest selves. Gloria lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humor.”
A native of Toledo, Ohio, Steinem dedicated her life to the cause of women’s rights – considered to be a leader in second-wave feminism. She co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus, which promoted and encouraged women’s participation and presence in government. She led marches and spoke out for women.
Steinem had also spent time as a freelance journalist in New York during the 1960s when, according to NPR ([link removed]) , newsrooms were largely run by men and female reporters were typically restricted to specific topics like food, celebrities and makeup. She once went undercover as a cocktail waitress at the Playboy Club in Manhattan, N.Y., – the reporting of which resulted in a damning exposé about the sexism and low wages endured by other cocktail waitresses. In a 2008 sitdown interview ([link removed]) with The New York Times, however, Steinem recalled how that particular assignment “followed” her for years.
She’d go on to co-found the first national American feminist magazine, Ms. magazine, in the early 1970s. Steinem told the Times that the publication came from a time when women “couldn’t write what we wanted to write.”
“At the time that first issue was published, there were local feminist publications here and in some other countries, but there was no national voice for those of us who had the radical idea that women are people,” Steinem wrote in a foreword ([link removed]) for the book, ‘50 Years of Ms.: The Best of the Pathfinding Magazine That Ignited a Revolution.’
“I didn’t know what the response would be, especially on newsstands, with no precedent or place for a women’s magazine that wasn’t about home, family and children.”
The cover of the first issue featured a woman with blue skin like the Hindu deity, Krishna, with multiple arms. In each hand, Steinem explained, was a symbol of the many tasks of women. The issue sold out in eight days.
Tributes and remembrances poured in for Steinem after news broke of her death. Steph Ruhle, host of MS NOW’s “Money, Power, Politics,” said if it was not for Steinem, Ruhle “would not be in this chair, leading this program today.
“We cannot overlook how much the world has changed for the better because of Gloria,” Ruhle said ([link removed]) Thursday on her show.
CNN’s Christiane Amanpour reflected on the icon’s legacy on X ([link removed]) , writing: “Gloria Steinem will go down in history as one of the most important activists of all time, leading a movement for the equality of half the world: its women. She lived a long and passionate life dedicated to this vital and basic cause. She did it with intellectual precision, emotional awareness, humour and beauty. May she rest in peace and may the cause thrive.”
The progressive, nonpartisan nonprofit, Women’s Media Center, issued a lengthy statement ([link removed]) of mourning. According to Julie Burton, one of the co-founders of the Women’s Media Center, the first organizing meeting took place in Steinem’s living room.
“Today WMC produces original on-air and online journalism by and about women. WMC documents and fights structural sexism and racism in media,” the statement read. “And the organization Gloria helped create continues to advance opportunities for women in media through connected strategies of training women journalists and leaders and promoting them as experts to media.”
By Amaris Castillo, staff writer
** Maria Bartiromo is out at Fox News after leaking an internal memo to Trump
------------------------------------------------------------
FOX Business Network's Mornings with Maria show anchor Maria Bartiromo, speaks during an interview, June 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
In 2013, Maria Bartiromo was a financial journalist at CNBC and a pioneer in the field, becoming the first journalist to report live daily from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Three years later, she was an anchor and host at Fox News and Fox Business who was growing increasingly cozy with presidential candidate Donald Trump.
That relationship only grew in the years that followed, with Bartiromo giving Trump favorable interviews, sharing the view that his 2020 election loss amounted to a “coup” and lending credence to false claims that the election was rigged.
On Thursday, we learned just how far Bartiromo’s affinity for Trump had allegedly gone — and, according to Status’ Oliver Darcy ([link removed]) , why Bartiromo is suddenly out at Fox.
Darcy reported Thursday evening that Bartiromo was fired after sharing confidential Fox News editorial guidance with the Trump White House.
The incident reportedly began in July, after Trump delivered a prime-time speech that included conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and allegations involving China. According to Darcy, Fox News then sent written guidance to senior employees instructing them not to give credence to Trump’s claims. The network largely avoided the claims in its coverage the following day.
Bartiromo, however, allegedly clued in the White House. Darcy reported that she disclosed Fox’s internal guidance and even shared with the White House the text message in which network executives had issued it.
That disclosure violated the terms of Bartiromo’s employment agreement, Darcy reported. And not long after Fox learned what she had done, Bartiromo disappeared from the network’s air. On Thursday, Fox announced that she was out in a terse statement ([link removed]) : “Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with FOX News Media,” the network said.
Fox has not confirmed Darcy’s reporting. A spokesperson told Status that “this was a business decision and the release speaks for itself.” Bartiromo answered a call from Darcy but declined to comment.
Trump chose Bartiromo for his first television interview after losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden. An hour before the interview, Bartiromo texted Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, to share the questions she intended to ask and wrote, “Pls make sure he doesn’t go off on tangents. We want to know he is strong he is a fighter & he will win.”
During the interview, Bartiromo lent credence to Trump’s false claims that rampant election fraud had cost him the election and said Trump was being overthrown in a “coup.”
Bartiromo also repeatedly aired baseless allegations that rigged voting machines had stolen the election from Trump and became a prominent figure in defamation lawsuits filed against Fox by voting technology companies. Fox settled Dominion Voting Systems’ lawsuit in 2023 for $787.5 million. A similar lawsuit from Smartmatic is still pending.
The election cases weren’t Bartiromo’s only legal headache for Fox. Her show prompted another lawsuit this summer after businessman and “Shark Tank” host Kevin O’Leary appeared on air and falsely accused opponents of his Utah data center project of having ties to China.
Fox is quickly removing Bartiromo’s name from its programming. “Mornings with Maria” will become “Mornings with Fox Business,” with a rotating cast of anchors. Her weekly “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street” will become “FBN’s Wall Street,” initially hosted by Cheryl Casone. Jason Chaffetz will fill in Sunday on Bartiromo’s Fox News show, “Sunday Morning Futures,” while the network searches for a permanent host.
Earlier Thursday, before Darcy’s report was published, speculation centered on whether Bartiromo might instead be headed to the Trump administration, which has yet to name a replacement for former press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
During Thursday’s White House briefing, a Newsweek reporter asked Vice President JD Vance whether Bartiromo would take the job.
“I don’t know, man. No, I don’t think so,” Vance said. He later quipped, “I'd like to invite Peter Doocy to come up here and answer a question about what happened to Maria.”
By Ren LaForme, managing editor
** USA Today will cut staff, reorganize audience team
------------------------------------------------------------
USA Today is cutting staff and reorganizing its audience team in response to declining search traffic, The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin reported in a tweet Thursday.
In a memo to staff, shared by Mullin, USA Today senior vice president Monica Richardson wrote that simply producing more content to grow audience “isn’t as effective as it once was,” with search traffic “under pressure” and platforms keeping users from clicking through to publishers.
The company will replace its current audience team with a new audience and digital production team that focuses on three areas: coordinating daily output and publishing workflows, growing audiences within “key coverage areas” and building off-platform audiences and managing platform relationships.
Richardson did not say how many employees will lose their jobs, referring only to “departing colleagues.”
The cuts will also affect local newspapers that are part of the USA Today Co. chain, formerly known as Gannett. Mullin has the memo ([link removed]) .
By Ren LaForme, managing editor
** Media tidbits and links for your weekend review
------------------------------------------------------------
* Norah O’Donnell is returning to “CBS Mornings” on Tuesday, reuniting with Gayle King and joining Nate Burleson as CBS tries to shore up the third-place morning show. Variety’s Brian Steinberg reports ([link removed]) that “CBS Mornings” viewership is down about 9% from a year ago, while its audience among 25- to 54-year-olds has fallen 20%. O’Donnell, who left the morning show in 2019 to anchor the “CBS Evening News,” is also taking on a new role as a “60 Minutes” correspondent.
* Forbes journalists haveratified their first union contract ([link removed]) after more than four years of bargaining, including two work stoppages. The three-year deal establishes a $68,500 salary floor, raises totaling 10% over the life of the contract, “just cause” job protections and an editorial firewall between Forbes’ business and editorial operations.
* Fox News’ Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade, who covered the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks for the network in 2001, will commemorate the 25th anniversary ([link removed]) with special coverage next week.
* ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith joins hosts Jemele Hill and Cari Champion for a 95-minute conversation on the latest episode of “Flagrant and Funny.” ([link removed]) And apparently it’s only part one. Awful Announcing’s Matt Yoder rounds up the top 5 moments. ([link removed])
* Politico’s Sophia Cai and Charles Rollet with “Zuckerberg opposed White House AI proposal in private call with Trump.” ([link removed])
* Wired’s Lexi Pandell writes “Pangram Has Emerged as the Gold Standard of AI Detection. Should You Trust It?” ([link removed])
* The New York Times’ Emma Goldberg (with visuals by Erin Schaff) with “The Start-Up That Helps People Die.” ([link removed])
** More resources for journalists
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* Join a free Poynter webinar on Covering Immigration with Care that gives practical guidance on trauma-informed interviewing, ethical storytelling and reporting beyond crisis-driven narratives. Enroll now. ([link removed])
* Learn critical skills that new managers need in this dynamic, in-person, five-day workshop: Nov. 16-20, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Apply now. ([link removed])
* Build practical AI skills ([link removed]) while learning to use the technology responsibly. Explore AI tools, ethics, misinformation and bias, learn how to apply AI to your everyday work, and earn a Poynter certificate. Complete the core course in just 4-5 hours, anytime and at your own pace.
Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
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